The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—better known as the stimulus package—tossed federal subsidies and tax cuts in more directions than you can count: bridge construction, food stamps, energy-grid upgrades, payroll and child tax credits, and the list goes on. This summer Penn got in on a lesser-known part of the action. The University received $650,000 to fund summer research experiences for 45 college students and 10 high-school students. Here’s what a few of them did:

Junior Louise Wang conducted research with Anil Rustgi, the T. Grier Miller Professor of Medicine, on the functions of the Lin28b gene, which is linked to pluripotent stem cells. Junior Kent Amoo-Achampong joined medical professor Daniel Polsky to find ways to reduce Medicare costs by improving the quality of healthcare delivery. Senior Alyssa Yeager worked with Penn Medicine professors Jim Wilson and Daniel Rader on gene therapies to treat two severe genetic disorders of the liver. Through Penn’s Teen Research and Education in Environmental Science (TREES) program, high-schooler Victor Fiore sought an effective heat treatment to eradicate antibiotics from water.